


The Last Charge

by MercySewerPyro



Series: Here There Be Dragons [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, CT-21-0408 | Echo Lives, Fix-It, Force-Sensitive Fives, Gen, multiple POVs, takes place during the Citadel episodes, which is a weird tag post-Bad Batch but you'll see
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:55:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23298919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MercySewerPyro/pseuds/MercySewerPyro
Summary: The Citadel was built to withstand the attempts of any fallen Jedi to escape, ruthless and cruel in its methods. It's already claimed one life, and is set to claim many more.But even the most well-defended of fortresses will have threats they cannot weather.
Series: Here There Be Dragons [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1674430
Comments: 7
Kudos: 44





	The Last Charge

It’s when they lose Charger that things start going very strangely.

Miraculously, his body doesn’t hit the electromines; instead, he falls too far out, disappearing out of sight as he nears the lava, the shimmering heat playing havoc with HUDs that would otherwise pick him out before the molten rock consumed him. Miraculously, they get into the Citadel without tripping the alarm, despite the loss of one of their own.

Cody hopes that their luck holds out, and that this mission will continue to be kind to them, but he can hear Fives muttering about having a bad feeling about this.

Just like whenever a Jedi says it, Fives seems to jinx it. They don’t stay that lucky.

* * *

_Fuck fuck fuck it wasn’t supposed to go like this! ‘I can’t leave before this mission’, ‘But the Jedi need me’, Force I’m an IDIOT._

_How did I even get out of that? Maybe Ree is right about just trusting your instincts. I can’t overthink it._

_...Maybe I can use this. The mission is still going. Sorry, Ree._

_They still need me._

* * *

Somehow, they don’t trip alarms on the way to Even Piell- But of course, once the blaster fire is noticed and the empty cell becomes glaring evidence of their passage, the Citadel is activated, and the entire building turns against them. They nearly lose a trooper to the Commando droids sent after them, and nearly lose their blasters - and General Skywalker - to an electrified magnetic bar above the hallway. It’s a miracle they don’t lose either of them.

And yet, the droid forces seem divided. The preliminary briefing had described just how heavily-defended this death trap was, the enemy numerous and lethal. But there’s less of them than there should be, and it makes Cody nervous. Where are the droids?

But despite his misgivings, they split up. The 501st and 212th temporarily part ways.

Distraction detail is always casualty-heavy. They lose a second trooper to the ventilation shafts’ countermeasures, snapping closed on him before he could even fully get out a scream. Cody looks away, trying not to play the memory over in his head, and just hopes Skywalker’s team is doing better than they are.

* * *

Fives doesn’t like this. There’s something out here other than the droids, and he’s pretty damn sure it’s following them. Multiple times now they’ve come across battle droids ripped to shreds, sporting marks from teeth and claws large enough to rival a rancor.

Perhaps because of that, it’s often quiet. Too quiet. They haven’t seen a single live droid yet- Only heard distant screaming, distant blaster fire, too far away to investigate without deviating from the plan. The B1s are running scared; the only consolation the General offers is at least whatever it is doesn’t seem interested in them.

But their luck can’t hold out forever, and Fives can _tell_ when the B2s find them. It’s one thing to hold them back, waiting for Ahsoka to blow their escape route wide open, but it’s another to hear a roar that chills him down to his bones and see _black_ up above.

It passes over, too fast and too high for anyone to get a good look at it.

Fives just hopes it stays away from them.

* * *

They’re nearly to the extraction point, no thanks to their brief apprehension by the Citadel’s warden (a mug so ugly Cody never wants to see it again). There is definitely something going on, and it doesn’t have anything to do with them.

This warden thought it was _their_ doing, that they had brought the ‘monster’ that was currently ravaging his droids. They had lost a trooper for denying any part in it, and nearly another for refusing to give up the information. Even from that control room, they could hear the distant, furious roar of an apex predator as it enacted that unexplained fury upon the battle droids.

What the _hell_ was on the planet with them?

* * *

_They can’t deal with two threats at once. Especially not me._

_Ree will be furious- But they’ll need me at the extraction point._

_I just hope they hold out a little longer._

* * *

Skywalker’s team is finally at the extraction point, and Fives is just grateful that they didn’t lose anybody on the way here. They’re tired, and they have injured, but the ship is _right there._ They’re so close to freedom he can almost taste it. Echo’s by his shoulder, just as tense but ready as he is, and he’s grateful for his brother’s steadier presence.

There’s Kenobi and his team, practically already in front of the ship. They’re two down, but- Somehow, Fives gets a feeling that was less than they should have lost.

Now the issue is the cannons.

Unopposed, those damn things could rip them and their ship to shreds. He’s busy listening to the argument about what to do, that arrogant asshole known as Tarkin advocating they charge all at once while Obi-wan argues back. Echo tenses further beside him, and Fives turns to ask him what he thinks-

And then his brother is moving. Fives feels his heart almost _stop._ _“Echo, no-!”_

The guns turn towards Echo, him and his shield, almost unaware of the ship behind him and Fives can almost _see_ the worst-

But before it can come true (like it has so many times before), a black blur the size of their shuttle _moves,_ and teeth the size of Fives’ arm rip the turret off its placement before anyone can react. The turret rounds don’t hit the ship. Echo’s body isn’t consumed by explosion and fire, leaving only his blasted helmet on the landing deck. Instead the droids are firing at the bigger threat now, a monstrous creature with four legs, armoured like a tank in smooth, matte black trimmed with a red like blood, roaring out its defiance and rage as it swipes the annoyances aside.

What the _fuck_ is _that?_

* * *

Cody nearly doesn’t move. The entire _group_ nearly doesn’t move, staring at the creature ripped straight out of a legend, ripping in turn the droids from their functioning existence. It’s a _dragon -_ he recognizes it from the stories told by Kenobi - but in the same breath it doesn’t seem like those tales at all. It’s huge. It’s terrifying.

And the droids are doing _nothing_ to it. The blaster bolts reflect off as if they were a mere light show, and its teeth close around another unfortunate droid as it continues its path of destruction.

Something that isn’t his own thoughts screams at Cody to go, and suddenly he’s running for his life, they’re _all_ running. The ship is warmed up and ready for them, and Echo is the first one on board as the rest of them stumble on behind him.

Almost on auto-pilot, Cody heads to the cockpit. He has to _see,_ has to watch this myth in action as it destroys what should have been a death trap as smoothly as a vibroblade through the chest. Another turret disappears in an explosion beside them, the drake’s massive tail smacking it aside as if it were merely made of flimsi.

Cody realizes that somehow, beyond all reason, it’s helping them _escape._ He doesn’t understand- But he doesn’t have to. The droids are already pulling the ship up, and the battlefield becomes smaller and smaller beneath them. They’re nearly home free. _They’re nearly home free._

Only three troopers die on a mission that should have nearly been a disaster. There is no Jedi blood on the droids’ hands, only troopers who knew this might be a death sentence anyway.

...But as they pull away, as somehow the blockade ignores their escape (is there another streak of winged black, running across the surface of the command vessel?), Cody gets the oddest feeling in his gut.

That the death count is even less than he thought.

* * *

_...Sorry, Ree. I just- I just wanted to make sure they got out okay. I just wanted to work with them one last time._

_I’m ready to go now._

_I just wish I got to say goodbye._

**Author's Note:**

> Trying to name this was a pain in the butt.
> 
> This is another weird one, but inspiration stops for no man.


End file.
